Ridiculous thought, at least in their times. All were considered prototypical No. 3 hitters, the absolute best hitters on their teams, the best hitters of their era, the best hitters of all time.

Heck, the Babe wore No. 3 on his jersey because that's where he hit in the lineup.

Nowadays, each would have the skill set to make him a candidate to hit second.

Traditionally, the No. 2 hitter can handle the bat. Bunt. Hit and run. Move the runner over. Take one for the team.

That's so 20th century, so early part of the 21st century.

Now, the rage is for a team's best hitter to bat second - at least the hitter who best combines speed, power and a high on-base percentage. We saw it late last season in Oakland, where Josh Donaldson batted second, and we're seeing it this year in San Francisco, where Brandon Belt and Hunter Pence share the role.

"As people start to look at lineups a little more analytically," A's assistant general manager Farhan Zaidi said, "there's a strong intuition to maximize the number of at-bats your best hitters get."

The No. 2 hitter gets about 18 more plate appearances per season than the third hitter, which is true for every spot going down the lineup incrementally. That's four or five games' worth, enough to make a dent in the standings. Placing an elite hitter second, there's a slightly less chance a game would end with him on deck.

Plus, the sacrifice bunt (once the second hitter's trademark) is becoming endangered, at least among non-pitchers and especially among deeper American League lineups. Data suggest there's a greater likelihood to score a run with a runner on first and no outs than a runner on second and one out.

"You want a threat up there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "If you've got your leadoff hitter on first and a guy with power at the plate, the guy on first is in scoring position."

It wasn't always this way for Bochy and A's manager Bob Melvin, who began managing when advanced metrics weren't a universal part of teams' strategies. Melvin said his approach has changed with the times, especially since joining the analytic-minded A's following stints in Seattle and Arizona.

On the other hand, each always knew the importance of a potent No. 2 hitter.

"Phil Garner was the first to impress on me about having your on-base guys up early, and that was '99," said Melvin, recalling the year he was the Brewers' bench coach.

Two years ago, the Giants' analytic department passed information to Bochy about the advantages of batting his top hitter second. Bochy "always liked the idea" of a potent hitter at No. 2 (he was Tony Gwynn's teammate, after all) and reaped the benefits of Marco Scutaro hitting .362 while batting second for his two months as a Giant in 2012.

"He's one of your best hitters, not just a guy who moves the runner over. That works," Bochy said of Scutaro. "That's why we put him in the 2 hole. If he moves a runner over and is a .250 hitter, that probably doesn't work."

Back in the day, the third spot was the most prestigious for a hitter. Now, the No. 2 spot is where many high-status hitters hit.

Sabermetricians second-guessed Baker last year for batting OBP machine Joey Votto third instead of second (new Reds manager Bryan Price also bats Votto third). Robinson Cano batted second part of last season as a Yankee but is hitting third for the offense-challenged Mariners.

"I like it. I feel good there, especially with a couple of good hitters right behind me," said Donaldson, who finished fourth in AL MVP voting last year and sees fewer breaking pitches when leadoff man Coco Crisp is on first. "I'm always trying to hunt the heater."

Belt batted second just twice before this year, both in 2012. Bochy hit him third late last season, and he responded by hitting .320 in 48 games. As a No. 2 hitter, he has three of his five homers and is batting .308.

"A lot more opportunities to drive in runs, create runs," said Belt, who bats second when the opposing starter is right-handed - Pence is there against lefties. "It's a lot of fun."

"The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball" breaks down an optimal lineup in non-traditional ways. Stats analysts Tom Tango, Mitchel Lichtman and Andrew Dolphin wrote that the No. 2 hitter should be better than the 3 hitter because he's in similar run-producing situations but will bat more often.

They also wrote that the fourth and fifth hitters actually bat with more men on base (on average) than the No. 3 hitter, which further lessens a third hitter's value, especially when he comes to the plate with two outs and nobody on. Remember all those times Barry Bonds was in that situation, only to get pitched around?

Why not bat the best hitter first? Some thought Bonds should have led off, but it's a spot with fewer RBI opportunities.

"It really depends on the dynamic of your lineup," Melvin said. "You don't want to weaken your power spots. It's easier (to put a top hitter at 2) if you have guys who can handle the 3, 4, 5, spots, which we do."

It's a reason the A's don't believe in bunting. They don't like forfeiting outs.

"I'm not going to give an out on one pitch to the second guy in the game," Melvin said. "We're trying to make a starter work, get his pitch count up to where you can get him out early. The front office designed a deep lineup with a bunch of guys who make pitchers throw a lot of pitches."

The Giants got with the times, too.

"I like a hitter who can do damage at No. 2," assistant GM Bobby Evans said. "There's a lot to be said for the bat control that Marco brings as well. But the way (Bochy) sets the lineup, (leadoff man Angel) Pagan has a chance to get driven in from first base, not just get moved over."

Hitting second might not have been stately for Mays and Co., but it's certainly commonplace for some of today's top hitters.

"It's gaining more traction now because players understand it's more of a premium spot to hit in," Zaidi said. "In the past, there was a certain cachet to hitting three, and hitting two is just as important if not more important. When the lineup turns over, you want your best guy up there sooner rather than later."

Evolution of lineup

Having one of your top hitters bat second has become all the rage. Here's how three of the best No. 2 hitters in the Bay Area stack up.

.308

Brandon Belt:

Giants first baseman is hitting .308 with three homers from the No. 2 spot in lineup this spring.

27 homers

Hunter Pence: Right fielder hit 27 homers in 2013, and is spending more time in the No. 2 spot this year.